Shopping online is typically a glorified version of catalog shopping. On a catalog page, a picture of the item, or perhaps several pictures, are shown, and, in the case of clothing, typically on a model. One can see the sizes and prices available as well. In an online catalog, generally the same information is available, but in some cases, a person can choose a certain picture and zoom in. In some instances, videos are available. Someone wishing to learn a karate sequence, might watch a video of it, see diagrams, and so forth. Still, the content shown is controlled, by and large, by the provider. The interactivity is limited to the familiar rewind, stop, play, and fast-forward features. While such features are useful, still pictures and even videos are a poor substitute for actually being there.
While using a mouse to click and drag around an object to transpose the position of the object or even rotate it, such an interaction has limited translation to the real world and allows a finite direction of change to what is viewed, based on how the mouse is currently mapped in an application. Generally, such movements either transpose the position of an object or camera position on the XY axis, zooms in, or allows a user choose a different picture where one can repeat the changes.
What is needed is a way to make the user experience more real in such a way as to make a user feel more immersed and in control of what s/he is watching and to have the ability to control greater axes of movement in a natural manner.